A fair night for racing

Go Kart racers line up for a test run before the competition begins on Tuesday night at the Boone County Fair.   ¦  SALLY MORROW/Missourian

COLUMBIA—The Logerman family lives for racing.

“We race bicycles, Go Karts, anything,” said Austin Logerman, 11, who lives in Ladonia with his two brothers and parents.

Austin’s grandmother, Mary, started the family’s motor sports tradition, winning a demolition derby about 15 years ago.

Austin, his two brothers, their parents, grandmothers and other family members gathered at the Boone County Fairgrounds on Tuesday evening for the Go Kart races. The races were the second of three mid-Missouri Go Kart races in the fair circuit.

Racers ranged in age from 4 to adult and were separated into classes based on age and weight. Five-horsepower engines propel all of the carts, but a restrictor plate is used to limit younger racers’ speeds.

For more than three years, the Logermans have been packing up their race trailer and traveling across the state to compete in Go Kart races. All three Logerman sons, ages 6, 9 and 11, competed in Tuesday night’s races.

Austin won first place, which included a $100 prize. Devin won third place in his race. Dalton placed last in his race.

Dalton Logerman’s Go Kart is bright green.

“My bedroom is green, too,” said 9-year-old Dalton.

Dalton’s chose his car’s number — 18 — because NASCAR racer Bobby Labonte’s car carries the same number. Likewise, Austin chose his red cart’s number — 8 — for NASCAR racer Dale Earnhardt. And 6-year-old Devin’s orange car carries the number 20.

“It’s because I like Tony Stewart,” Devin said, referring to another NASCAR racer.

Austin learned about racing by watching NASCAR races on TV and playing car racing video games. He said he wants to be a NASCAR driver when he grows up.

Dalton said he enjoys earning trophies. The brothers have already earned several trophies this year. All three won first place in a race on Mother’s Day weekend. They plan on competing at the last of the fair circuit’s races in Mexico, Mo., later this summer. Austin said his family spends about 20 hours each week preparing their carts for the races.

Thanks to help from their grandmother, several businesses sponsor the brothers in their racing endeavors.

“I go around running my mouth trying to get sponsors for them,” Mary said. “When they first started out, I had no idea how big it really was.”